Method and apparatus for use in sorting paper



Dec. 1,1925

G. F. HOSMER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN SORTING PAPER Filed Dee!1924 INVENTEI F= .MM

@371, ATT RN Y5- Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES GUY F. HOSMER, RUMFORD, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO OXFORD PAPERCOMPANY, 01!

1,563,747 PATENT OFFICE.

RUMFORD, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE IITSORT ING PAPER.

Application filed December 1, 1924. Serial No. 753,397.

and sorting of sheets of paper and has for its general object to providea method and apparatus whereby the sheets may be conveniently handled insuch .a mannerthat the operation in question can be carried on speedilyand effi'ciently without danger of damage to the sheets.

In accordance with the practice heretofore followed, a stack of papersheets to be inspected and sorted is supplied to the inspector upon asuitable platform on the opposite sides of which are placed suitabletrucksto receive the accepted and rejected sheets respectively. Theinspector, starting at the top of the stack of unsorted paper, lifts thesheets one by one, placing the perfect or accepted sheets upon the truckat one side of the stack and the imperfect or' rejected sheets upon thetruck at the op posite side. As the sheets are relatively large, it isdesirable that they be moved from the stack of unsorted paper to thestack of accepted paper with minimum effort, and to this end it isnecessary that the level of the top of the stack of unsorted paper" beapproximately the same as, or only slightly above that of-the top of thestack of accepted paper. As the operation proceeds, the height of thestack of unsorted paper diminishes, while that of the stack of acceptedpaper increases thereby varying the relative elevation of the tops ofthe two stacks. When this difference in elevation becomes considerable,there is difiiculty in point has resulted in considerable loss indamaged paper.

In accordance with the present invention the vertical positions of thesupport for the unsorted paper and of the truck for receiving theaccepted paper are so controlled that thetops of the two stacks may bemaintained at the desired relative elevations irrespective of theheights of the stacks, so that )a stack of unsorted paper ofsubstantially any height, Within practical limits, may be supplied atonce to the inspector, and the operation of sorting carried on smoothly,efliciently and without interru tion, but without danger of damaging t esheets when moving them from the unsorted paper stack to the acceptedpaper stack. To this end, the invention consists in a method of andapparatus for yarying the relative positions of thestacks of unsortedand accepted paper so as to maintain their tops at approximately thesame elevation.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will best be understoodfrom the following description of the construction, arrangement, andoperation of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying .drawings. Itwill be understood however that the particular constructions andoperations described and shown have been chosen for illustrativepurposes merely, and that the invention, as defined by the claimshereunto appended, may be otherwise embodied and practiced withoutdeparture from the spirit v and scope thereof.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation, partly inyertical section, of anapparatus con: structed and operating in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the. parts in different positions.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of one of the hydraulicelevators.

At 10 is shown a suitable floor upon which the sorting is to take place,said floor being carried by suitable beams 11 an'd'having .thereon asupport for the stack 12 of unsorted paper, said support oomprising aplatform 13 carried by uprights 14 normally resting on the floor. Thetrucks 15 and 16 for the accepted and rejected paper respectively areprovided with wheels 17 u on which they may be moved over the oor intoand out of positions adjacent the platform or support 13, beingpreferably,

- 24 and 25 respectively. The head of the plunger 22 is adapted toengage the platform 13 and lift the same with its supportinguprights 14from the floor 10: The head 21 of the plunger 23 is provided with blocks26 to engage the axles 27 of the truck or support 15 for the stack-28 ofaccepted paper and lift said truck also from the The elevators 22, 24and 23,. are substantially identical in construction, the former beingshown in detail in Fig 3 and a description thereof being sufficient forboth. The cylinder 24 is formed at its upper end with a flange 30 which,together with a spacing block 31', is secured by bolts 32 to a beam orstringer 33 supported 'by .the floor beams 11. Said upper end of thecylinder 24 is enlarged to accommodate a stuffing box surrounding theplunger 22 and comprising a suitable packing 34 and a gland 35 securedto the flange 30 by' cap screws 36. The plunger 22 is of an exteriordiameter slightly less than the interior diameterof the cylinder 24 withwhich communicates a combined supply and exhaust pipe 37. In order toinsure the necessary clearance between' the lower end of the plunger 22and the bottom of the cylinder 24, when said plunger is in its lowestposition, as well asto head '20 flush with the oor 10, the end of thecylinder is preferably provided with an adjustable abutment screw 38upon which said plunger rests when in the position in question.installing the apparatus, to raise or lower the head 20 to make it'levelwith the floor, this can be done by adjusting the screw 38. In order tosteady and guide the vertical movements of the elevator, the head 20 isprovided with a depending guide rod 39 which is received and guided insuitable aligned openings in the flange 30, block 31 and beam '33. I

The combined supply and exhaust pipes 37 of the cylinders 24 and 25 arecontrolled by suitable valves 40 adapted to place said pipes incommunication either with supply branches 41 leading from a supplyheader 42, or with exhaust branches 43 leading an exhaust header 44. Thevalves 40 are 10- rovide for -adjustably fixing said osition with theShould it become necessary, in

cated below the floor 10 but are provided with operating handles 45extended through said, floor and operable above the latter.

- The exhaust header 44 leads to a supply tank 46 from which water, oilor other suitable liquid is drawn through a pipe 47 by a pump 48 anddischarged through a pi e 49 into a pressure tank 50 with which t esupply header 42 communicates. The tank 50 may be located at anelevation in order to maintain a suitable hydrostatic head in the supplyheader 42, or, preferably and as herein shown, is located below thefloor 10 and comprises a closed chamber enclosing a certain amount ofair which is put under pressure by the liquid forced into said tankthrough the pipe 49 by the pump 48, thereby maintaining the desiredpressure in the supply header 42.

n use, a stack-12 of unsorted aper is placed upon the support or plat01m 13 whose uprights 14, as above stated, normally rest upon floor 10,as shown in Fig. 1. The stack 12 maybe-of any height within the limitsfor which the apparatus is designed. The valve 4O controlling thecylinder 25 is then operated by its handle 45 to admit pressure from theheader 42' through the branch 41 to the pipe 37 to said cylinder,thereby causing the plunger 23 to rise, lifting the truck 15 from thefloor until said.

truck is brought to an elevation sufliciently close to that'of the topof the stack 12. The operator then proceeds to sort the paper of thestack 12, placing the accepted sheets in a stack 28 on the truck 15 andthe rejected sheets in a stack 29 on the truck 15. As the stack 12diminishes and the stack 28 at the same time increases, the valve 40controlling the cylinder 25 may from time to time be operated by. itshandle 45 to lowerthe truck rOI' support 15., so as to maintain theelevation of the tops of the stacks 12 and 28 substantially equal. Thisoperation is continued until the. plunger 23 has so far descended as topermit the wheels 17 of the which is immaterial, such mechanism isnotessential and is preferably omitted.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an apparatus for usein sorting paper sheets, in combination, a support for a stack ofunsorted paper, supports for stacks of accepted and rejected paperdisposed respectively adjacent said first named support, and mechanismfor relatively mov-.

ing said unsorted paper and accepted paper supports in a verticaldirection.

2. In an apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, asupport forpaper, trucks movable over said floor into and out ofpositions adjacent said support, and mechanism for lifting said supportfrom said floor and holding the same in an elevated position.

4. In. an apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, afloor, a support on said floor for a stack of unsorted pa er, trucksmovable over said floor into an out of positions adjacent said support,and mechanism for lifting one of said trucks from said floor and holdingthe same in a position above said support.

5. lnan apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, afloor, a support on said floor for a stack of unsorted paper, trucksmovable over said floor into and out of positions adjacent said support,and mechanism for lifting either said support or one of said trucks fromsaid floor and holding the same in a position above the other.

6. In an apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, asupport for a stack of unsorted paper, supports for stacks of acceptedand rejected paper disposed respectively adjacent said first namedsupport, and hydraulic plungers for raising and lowering said unsortedpaper and acce ted paper supports respectively.

2. In an apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, afloor, a support adjacent said floor for a stack of unsorted paper,trunks movable over said floor into and out of positions adjacent saidsupport, and an elevator operating through said floor adjacent saidsupport and adapted to engage and lift one of said trucks from saidfloor and hold the same in elevated position above said support.

8. In an apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, afloor, a support adjacent said floor for a stack of unsorted paper,trucks movable over said floor into and out of positions adjacent saidsupport, an elevator for raising and lowering said support, and anelevator operating through said floor adjacent said support and adaptedto engage andlift one of said trucks from said floor and hold the samein elevated position above said support.

9. In an apparatus for use in sorting paper sheets, in combination, afloor, a support on said floor for a stackof unsorted paper, supports onsaid floor-for stacks of accepted and rejected paper disposedrespectively adjacent said first named support, hydraulic plungers forraising and lowering said unsorted paper and accepted paper and acceptedpaper supports respectively, valves located beneath said floor forcontrolling said plungers respectively, and means operable above saidfloor for operating said valves.

10. The herein described method of sorting paper sheets which consistsin supplying the unsorted paper in a stack,transferring the acceptedsheets successively from the top of said stack to the top of-an adjacentstack, and relatively lowering theaccepted paper stack and raising theunsorted paper stack as the operation progresses.

11. The herein described method of sorting paper sheets which consistsin supplying the unsorted paper in a stack, transferring the acceptedsheets successively from the top of said stack to the top of an adjacentstack, and progressively lowering the accepted paper stack andthereafter progressively raising the unsorted paper stack as theoperation proceeds.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GUY HOSMER.

